Sunday, July 8, 2007

Knowledge is Power Day 1

Something that I will do daily (well, as daily as possible), is list terms, recipes and other bits of knowledge that I am learning. I will do my best to list at least one restaurant term, one mixed drink recipe, one wine term or fact and one basic cooking term, recipe or fact. If nothing else, this will serve to hold myself accountable for learning daily, and may become a source for others that find themselves in similar circumstances.

Restaurant Term:Tasting menu ----- (French name, menu degustation) It gives customers a chance to try a larger number of chef’s creations. Menu may feature 5-6 or 10-12 individual courses serve in small portions. Change daily depending on chef choices and availability of ingredients.

Shake all of these ingredients with ice, then strain into a glass filled with ice

("Bloody" drinkers have diverse tastes, so you should ask if the drinker would like the drink hot, and alter accordingly with Tabasco sauce. There are about as many different recipes for Bloody Marys as there are drinkers. Some prefer gin to vodka, and any number of interesting ingredients may be added or substituted to make that perfect, customized Bloody Mary. You can experiment with clam juice, dill, basil, garlic, curry powder, or barbecue sauce. Feel free to be creative; you may be the bartender who dicovers the perfect combination! as found in Bartending 101: The Basics of Mixology, published in 2005 by St. Martin's Griffen)

Note: Chardonnay is also often used as a blending component in the production of fine sparkling winse in placed like Champagne (France), North America, Italy, New Zealand, and Australia. Producers of these sparkling wines like to use Chardonnay grown in a cold climate because it provides the finished sparkling wine with a lemony, apple character.